Cat Boarding Establishments
Introduction
Any premises, including a private dwelling where there is a business of providing accommodation for other people's cats and/or dogs.
Licences are renewed annually following an inspection. New premises require veterinary approval.
There is a charge for the licence.
Legislation and Guidance
Animal Boarding Establishments Act 1963
Model licence conditions - Cattery
1. Introduction
Unless otherwise stated, these conditions shall apply to all buildings and areas to which cats have access and/or are used in association with the boarding of cats.
Use of the term ‘unit’ relates to combined sleeping and individual exercise areas.
2. Licence Display and Insurance
2.1 A copy of the licence and its conditions must be suitably displayed to the public in a prominent position in, on or about the boarding establishment.
2.2 Adequate insurance indemnity should be arranged by the operator of the business. This must include public liability and employers liability if staff are employed.
3. Construction
3.1 General
3.1.1 The establishment must, at all times, be laid out and operated in accordance with an approved plan, to be attached to the licence. Before carrying out any alterations, plans must be submitted to and approved by the licensing officer of the local authority.
3.1.2 All new units must be built on a concrete base with a damp proof membrane to Building Regulations standards. This should have a minimum fall of 1 in 80. (see 3.3.2).
3.1.3 All exterior wood must be smooth and properly treated against wood rot. Only non-toxic products should be used.
3.1.4 All internal surfaces used in the construction of walls, floors, partitions, doors and door frames are to be durable, smooth and impervious. There must be no projections or rough edges liable to cause injury.
3.1.5 Sleeping areas of units must be so insulated so as to prevent extremes of temperature.
3.1.6 Fencing material must be secure and safe.
3.1.7 The construction must be such that security of the cat is ensured.
3.1.8 All areas to which cats have free access must be roofed (see 3.4.2).
The interior and the exterior of the buildings should be kept in good decorative order and repair. Outer paths, gardens, exercise areas and general surroundings must be kept to a good, clean, presentable condition.
Materials used in construction must not contain chemicals harmful to cats. For example, phenol or creosote. Consideration should also be given to providing suitable finishes and adequate thermal insulation, which should be fireproof.
Where galvanised welded mesh is used the wire diameter must not be less than 1.60mm (16 gauge welded mesh) excluding any covering and mesh size must not exceed 2.5 cm.
Units may be of different construction, e.g full-height houses, half-height penthouses or similar. Units may also be of the ideal outdoor type or indoor units, either built within an existing building (e.g a barn) or purpose built as an indoor cattery. Wherever possible, such indoor units should be provided with an outdoor exercise area. Units may also be constructed in a roundel, i.e individual units entered from a circular central area. If correctly constructed and managed to the following specifications, all these will provide better conditions for boarded animals, improved hygiene and safer systems of work.
In designing a building conversion to be used as a cattery, consideration should be given to providing a window with a shelf underneath, within the sleeping quarters, as cats are great spectators.
Ideally, in outdoor construction, there should be a 0.65 m gap between individual units as the resultant airflow lessens the risk of cross infection. In the absence of this gap, a full-height sneeze barrier between units is required.
3.2 Walls
3.2.1 The walls with which cats may come into contact must be of smooth impervious materials, capable of being easily cleansed. Where concrete or other building blocks or bricks are used, they must be sealed to be smooth, impervious, and be resealed as necessary.
3.2.2 Junctions between vertical and horizontal sections should be coved. If impractical in existing premises, these joints must be sealed.
3.2.3 Full length sneeze barriers must be provided where the gap between units is less than 625 mm (2 ft).
Suitable materials for the construction of partition walls would be properly surfaced brick/block constructions, moulded plastic, glass reinforced plastic (GRP), pre-formed plastic surfaced board etc. Sealing refers to the use of a proprietary water proofing agent for sealing the wall against damp penetration. Under certain circumstances, sealing of brickwork can only be achieved by rendering prior to sealing. Sealants must be non toxic.
Current best building practice should be followed when providing coving for junctions between vertical and horizontal sections.
A sneeze barrier is particularly effective in controlling droplet infection, which is the commonest disease problem in catteries.
For sneeze barriers it is preferable to use translucent GRP sheeting or high impact glass or similar, which allows some transmission of light. Where a full height sneeze barrier is provided it will be necessary to ensure ventilation works effectively. A gap between units is not mandatory. If incorporated in new buildings this gap must be a minimum of 625 mm (2ft).
If there is no gap a sneeze barrier must be provided to a minimum height of 1.2 m (4ft). If a shelf is provided the barrier must be extended to a minimum of 0.5m above the shelf and at least 150 run beyond the shelf within the exercise area.
All wooden construction or framework should stand on non-absorbent (e.g plastic) blocks to prevent damage to the wood.
3.3 Floors
3.3.1 The concrete base and floors of all buildings and units, must be of smooth, impervious materials, capable of being easily cleansed. In new catteries, this must incorporate a damp proof membrane.
3.3.2 Floors of all units and individual exercise areas must be constructed and maintained in such a condition as to prevent ponding of liquids (see Condition 3.1.2).
3.4 Ceilings and Roofing
3.4.1 Ceilings must be capable of being easily cleansed and disinfected.
3.4.2 All exercise areas and the safety passage should be covered with mesh and impermeable material, a proportion of which must be translucent.
When roofing the exercise area consideration should be given to installing translucent ceiling material capable of filtering UV light and providing adequate shade.
Where indoor units are provided, particularly within converted outbuildings, consider ease of cleaning, energy conservation, prevention of access to wildlife, lighting and ventilation. Where it is not practicable to have the ceiling at 1.8m a higher ceiling may be permitted provided it meets the requirements of the condition.
3.5 Doors
3.5.1 Doors must be strong enough to resist impact and scratching and must be fitted to be capable of being effectively secured.
3.5.2 Where metal edging is used, this must not present a risk of injury to the cat.
3.5.3 Adequate constructional precautions must be taken to prevent and control the spread of infectious disease particularly by droplet infection.
Consider the gates to exercise areas and doors to sleeping areas to open outwards.
A cat-flap should be provided in the door to the sleeping compartment to permit easy access to the exercise area. This flap should be closed at night. In catteries of penthouse construction where the litter tray is left outside at night, a swing flap should be used to prevent excessive heat loss in colder weather.
In an indoor cattery, there should also be a solid, full-height door between the sleeping compartment and the exercise area to permit staff access from the exercise area to the central corridor through the sleeping compartment. It is advisable to have a cat flap in this door in order to conserve energy.
In new units, the solid doors between units and the central corridor must have an adequate viewing panel to permit inspection of the whole area.
In an indoor cattery the danger of infection from shared air supply is heightened. Effective barriers to prevent cross infection should be in place, i.e solid doors, partitions and ceilings.
3.6 Windows
3.6.1 All windows which pose a security risk must be escape proof at all times.
Windows when a security risk must be protected by welded mesh or be made of reinforced glass, polycarbonate or other impact resistant material.
In designing a building conversion to be used as a cattery, consideration should be given to providing a window, with a shelf beneath it, within the sleeping quarters, as cats are great spectators.
Each sleeping compartment should have its own window, with a shelf beneath it, to allow natural daylight into the unit and to permit the cat to look out.
3.7 Drainage
3.7.1 Food preparation areas must be connected to mains drainage or an approved, localised sewage disposal system.
3.8 Lighting
3.8.1 During daylight hours light must be provided to exercise and sleeping areas so that all parts are clearly visible. Where practicable this should be natural light.
3.8.2 Adequate supplementary lighting must be provided throughout the establishment.
Wherever practicable, each unit should have a source of natural light, both to the exercise and to the sleeping compartments.
Natural and artificial lighting must be of sufficient standard to enable efficient working after daylight hours.
3.9 Ventilation
3.9.1 Ventilation must be provided to all interior areas without the creation of excessive, localised draughts in the sleeping area.
Draughts can be the outcome of ventilation provided for animal health. Heating can equally be removed by ventilation. A balance is necessary between adequate ventilation and the unnecessary removal of warm air.
Ventilation is important as an aid to disease control, a protection against smell accumulation and prevents excessive humidity of the atmosphere. High humidity should be avoided.
Siting of the bed is an important consideration. Providing a bed with adequate protective sides to allow the cat “depth” to seek protection, together with efficient individually controlled heating, are considerations in protecting the cat.
Moulded polypropylene beds which can be easily cleaned and disinfected are useful here.
4. Number of Animals
4.1 Number of Cats Permitted
4.1.1 The maximum number of cats to be kept at any one time is …… (TO BE DETERMINED BY THE LOCAL AUTHORITY).
4.1.2 Each cat must be provided with a separate unit except that cats from the same household may share a unit of adequate size with the written consent of the cats’ owner.
Where sharing occurs, the cats must be provided with separate beds.
It is strongly recommended that any collars or flea collars be removed while cats are being boarded as fatal accidents regarding these have been known to occur.
4.1.3 No animals other than cats are to be boarded within the licensed facilities without the written approval of the local authority.
4.1.4 Where stray cats are accepted by the cattery they must be kept in a separate area away from boarded cats.
4.2 Unit Size, Layout and Exercise Facilities
4.2.1 In new construction each unit must have a sleeping area and an adjoining exercise area, which is exclusive to that unit.
4.2.2 In new construction each unit must be provided with a sleeping area of at least 0.85 sq m (9 sq ft) for one cat, 1.5 sq m (16 sq ft) for two cats, 1.85 sq m (20 sq ft) for up to four cats.
4.2.3 Cats from separate households must not be housed together. Where cats from same household are sharing, written permission must be obtained from the owner.
Units may be designated as suitable for a specific number of cats, greater than 4, at the discretion of the licensing authority.
4.2.4 Units must have a minimum internal height of 1.8m (6 ft) to allow access by staff for cleaning.
4.2.5 The height of the sleeping area must be at least 0.91m (3 ft) in existing and 1.22m (4 ft) in new build.
4.2.6 Suitable bedding must be provided which allows the cat to be comfortable and which is capable of being easily and adequately cleaned and disinfected. Such equipment must be sited out of draughts. Bedding material must be checked daily and must be maintained in a clean, parasite-free and dry condition.
4.2.7 In new construction each unit must be provided with an exercise area of at least 1.7 sq m (18 sq ft) for a single cat; 2.23 sq m (24 sq ft) for two cats; 2.79 sq m (30 sq ft) for up to 4 cats.
4.2.8 Units must open onto secure corridors or other secure areas so that cats are not able to escape from the premises.
4.2.9 Exercise areas must not be used as sleeping areas.
4.2.10 There must be direct and voluntary access to the exercise area.
During cattery construction, it is necessary to use an appropriate design and correct materials to ensure energy conservation and to minimise discomfort to the cat.
The sleeping area may be at ground level or in the form of penthouses (raised sleeping areas). These latter must be a minimum of 3ft above floor level with a maximum depth of 3ft 6 inches.
All exercise areas must be covered with welded mesh and roofed with a translucent material capable of filtering UV light and providing adequate shade.
It is strongly recommended that, in new units, the minimum floor area of the sleeping area be 1.5 sq m (16 sq ft) as this allows greater flexibility in usage, i.e one or two cats may be boarded in all chalets.